Incurable
by Geekasauruz
Summary: "We'd stared into the face of Death, and Death blinked first. You'd think that would make us feel brave and invincible. It didn't." - Rick Yancey
1. The Survivors

I crouched low to the rain-washed dirt, twigs pushing into my pale skin only to leave reddened scratches flush against it. The moans had become much louder now, the dragging of broken limbs heavier. The air was tainted with the smell of rotting flesh and smoke hung in a haze that partially obscured my view. Buildings stood like skeletons, empty now that the death toll was in the billions. From each side of the barren city Decayers came stumbling through, leaving little choice but for me to crawl down a nearby alleyway. I walked along the cobbled ground on aching feet that I had learned to ignore. The hollowed shops like a forest of stone, bunched so tightly together that their roofs were almost touching. I saw the opening in front of me, like a beacon of light in the dark passage. I had almost made it out before a corpse appeared and blocked my exit. It had a sloppy gait as it approached me, jaw so broken that its mouth hung open, tongue lolling around with every jolted step. In my surprise I had fumbled around my pocket for my gun, gaze icing over as I pulled the trigger... nothing. Just an empty click.

"Fuck!" The curse flew from my lips like a ritual now, such a large part of my vocabulary that any vile meaning it once had no longer applied.

I had forgotten that I was out of ammo... that was the whole reason I was back here, to find the stash I had hidden. I doubted it was still there after the long year of scavenging but weapons were so hard to come by now that any slim chance of it being there was worth the risk. The handgun was swiftly placed back into my pocket, other hand reaching to a holder wrapped tightly around my leg. The throwing knife had barely touched my palm when I threw it at the Decayer, sharp blade piercing its eye in a bloody mess. The body fell, one last groan leaving its throat. That was my cue, and I wasted no time in taking it. With a sharp inhale I pulled the knife out of the corpses eye with a squelch, peeking my head out from the alley to check for any more of the bastards. All clear. In fact, it was too clear. Moments like these reminded me how hopeless the world had become. No birds, no ants, no anything. Even flies were a rarity and even then they hung around the dead more than the living.

The silence was equally comforting as it was unnerving, but it was enough to get me moving again at least. I only stopped when I made it to my destination, swinging the door open and shutting it with a quiet creak. All around me the walls seemed to whither. Paint peeled off like a molting snake and everything inside was covered with a coating of dust. My fingers ran against the building, pausing at each door frame long enough for me to look inside. I couldn't remember the layout of the large home, but I knew what the room looked like. I had it in my head like a picture that I never allowed my mind to put down.

Finally, I came to a worn door. The handle was hanging off of it as if someone had made their way in by force. As a result it refused to close properly but sat as if a person had tried to regardless. A bang sounded from the inside, then everything went quiet once more. It wasn't a walker then. They'd make a lot more noise. I felt my shoulders visibly tense at the alternative, teeth gritting together as I reached a hand to the doors wooden surface. Only fools feared the dead above the living, and so the amount of dread that engulfed me when I pushed open the door was immense.

The room slowly revealed itself, bit by bit until figures came into my line of sight. Soon it became clear that it wasn't just a few people in that room but a whole group. Not only that, but I recognized the place instantly. This was where I had put my stash... and as they were revealed I saw that each of them carried my weapons in their shaking hands. The last to be uncovered was a fairly tall man with a body as slim as most people in the apocalypse. He looked to be in his mid to late 30s with dark brown wavy hair and stubble dotted over his chin, cheeks and upper lip. I barely had time to analyse him before the barrel of his gun was shoved to my forehead.

"What are you doing here?" He growled in a thick southern accent.

My pale blue eyes narrowed at the man, teeth baring at the threat like a feral dog. I had seen what people could do to others in this decomposing world, it no longer came as any shock.

"You might wanna put that gun down before you hurt yourself." I finally replied.

"Answer the question." The man pushed the gun harder against my skin with a scowl. "Don't test me, I _will_ shoot you."

My eyes flicked around the room cautiously taking in the faces stuck glaring at me. Two children (one boy and one girl), three women, and five men including the one with a gun to my head. My eyes halted on the last. A man in his early 20s with jet black hair and eyes resembling rich soil. He looked as if he were opposed to the idea of threatening a stranger, but didn't say a word.

"I came for that." I stated simply, directing towards the sack still filled to the brim with bullets. "They're mine."

"Not anymore they ain't." Another snapped, leaning against a small table with his dark brown hair looking like strands of hay and just as dry.

"I know how this works, you don't need to inform me." I hissed back. "You found them, they're yours."

The one angling the weapon at me dropped his arm with a sigh. At this I felt a twinge of surprise. I was expecting to leave with nothing less than a bullet through the leg. The one near the table, however, didn't look as relieved. His eyes stayed on me like many assholes I had met on the road. He was lost to this world, even that was apparent to me.

"Just gonna let her go, Rick?" He said in anger, trying to grasp onto any form of leadership he still had.

"What you want me to do? Kill her?" The other said back in a tone of defiance. "She ain't done nothin' to us, Shane!"

"Not yet she hasn't but how can you guarantee that she won't?!"

There was a moment of stillness, nothing but the glare between two men to fill the atmosphere. Rick pocketed his gun in an attempt to show that this wasn't up for argument, but Shane only seemed more enraged by his leadership being ignored.

"Leave her be." Was the sentence that broke through the silence.

"You'll get us all killed." Shane's hands clenched to fists at his side, looking to the little boy in the room. "You'll get your son killed."

"She doesn't seem like a threat." A voice spoke up from the side. "We've got her weapons and her ammo, how do you expect that she'll be a danger without them?"

"Stay out of this, Glenn." The man gave a scoff at the group, looking back to Rick as if he were insane. "Fine. If you won't do it, then I will."

A shotgun was suddenly aimed toward me and I felt myself back into the wall with a gasp. Fear traveled in my veins but never made it to my facial muscles or skin. My complexion remained pale and stoic, my stare steady on the man. After being in so many groups and watching so many die, a gunshot seemed like one of the better ways to go. That did nothing to cease the terror immobilizing me though. I heard the familiar click, Shane's finger hovering over the trigger. There was a loud bang. One that echoed through the building and rung through my ears. However, I felt no pain. I opened my eyes, glancing over to see the barrel of his gun smoking and Glenn with his hand pushing it away. There were holes in the wall beside me but I paid little attention to it with my heart racing at such a speed.

"We don't need to kill her!" He yelled now, pulling his hands back away. "We don't kill innocents."

Behind him an old man with a fishers hat nodded in agreement, stepping up beside him as if it counted as a vote. I could see that the Shane bastard wanted to argue, or maybe even fight, but he didn't get the chance to. The gargled groans were all we needed as warning, Rick rushing to the window and peering out of it. His hand slammed against the sill.

"Walkers!" He shouted, no further explanation was needed. It was common for each group to call them by different names, but either way it always meant the same thing. The tone was a dead giveaway.

"You idiot!" My rage spilled out at Shane. "You lead them right to us!"

The children were quickly embraced by their mothers, expressions of horror glued to their faces. I wasn't going to stay long enough to see anymore. Giving a look of pure hatred to the man that almost shot me, I rushed back to the door. I would have run out without a second thought if Rick's voice hadn't called out to me.

"Wait!" His voice wavered despairingly. "Do you know a way out of the city?"

"Wouldn't have come here if I didn't." I answered simply.

"Please... take us with you."

I snorted in amusement. "Take you after you tried to kill me?"

"We don't have time for this." Shane grabbed my arm tightly and pressed the gun back against me. "Take us now or I'll finish the job."

"I don't take well to threats." I spat back, yanking myself out of his grip. "Find your own way out."

One look out the window showed us a shifting army of half-rotted people, their once pristine clothing now tattered and soaked in dark crimson. It wouldn't be long before they found their way inside, even less until they'd seal off every exit. My legs braced to sprint away, back turning before another voice came. An older one, slightly adenoidal and shaky.  
"Shane was wrong, but don't judge us all on one mans actions." He said, a hand on my shoulder that had me peering over in curiosity to see the oldest man in the group again. "You're not a bad person, I can see that. You wouldn't leave children to their deaths, would you?"

The guilt trip wasn't uncommon, but this man was better at it than most others. He reached toward any humanity I had remaining and it was something I couldn't dismiss. I tried sorting through my web of conflicting thoughts, tilting my gaunt face at them with a loud huff. Not only were there kids, but I'd be dead already if it weren't for Glenn. I couldn't within good conscience leave him.  
"Fine, follow me... and try to keep up. I won't be coming back if any of you fall behind."

There wasn't a sound from any of them but that only assured that they understood. Either that, or they were too afraid that if they asked me to repeat it that I would decide to abandon them. It would have been easier if I could have. Such a large group moving all at once was sure to attract attention, but I couldn't bring myself to leave them there after agreeing to lead them out. I was stuck between a world that had once shaped me to be compassionate, and another that was hardening me to solid stone. I took out my throwing knives, blood still dripping from one of the blades as I marched out. The group followed not too far behind, Glenn closest of all.


	2. Night's Veil

The sun was our only marker of time. We had no other way to measure the passing day other than its periodic rise and fall, unless you were lucky enough to come across a working watch. By the time I had lead them out of the city the sun had already sunk midway in the sky, and when we reached the highway it was beginning to disappear into the horizon. The unbelievable heat it burned down on the land below suddenly shifted to a cold that stalked us with its oncoming night. We walked down the paved road, each of our footsteps crunching in uneven intervals. The frozen traffic was swerved through. I could only assume that they were looking for their own vehicles. Next to me the backpack swayed lightly against Shane's side, the worn straps hanging low from his shoulder. It knocked against him with each step but the bag's obvious weight seemed to have little effect on his balance like it had for me a year ago. His eyes stayed on me the whole way, like a vulture waiting for death.

The rest of his group didn't seem to notice that Shane was slowly slipping, even when his teeth bared in a growl at the introductions they gave. I couldn't comprehend why he looked so enraged, It wasn't like I asked for their names. Still, they gave them regardless of my apparent lack of interest. Rick had introduced himself first, doing the same for Shane who didn't seem like he was going to do it himself. He then pointed to a woman sauntering a little behind us with a child, confirming that this was his wife Lori and his son Carl. They didn't have any relevance in my mind, and neither did Andrea who said her name in an unwavering tone. Carol, who was lagging behind the group, introduced herself along with her daughter Sophia. Daryl was next, but he said it so dismissively it were as if he didn't think it mattered whether I knew his name or not. He was right, it didn't. I kept walking, head forward and gaze focused on our destination. The only names I felt obligated to remember were Glenn, I did owe him my life after all, and Dale, the old man that had convinced me to help them. As inhumane as it was, I wouldn't have thought twice about leaving them in that building if they hadn't have pleaded with me. As we made it through a particularly cluttered section of the highway, covered in cars that were so faded and damaged they looked as dead as the corpses inside of them, the group quickened their pace. Dale had hurried to an old, white RV and the rest branched out to their respective vehicles to make sure everything was still in order.

"You seem like you know this part of the city pretty well." Rick finally spoke again, stepping back over to me. "You grow up here or somethin'?"

"Does it matter?" I replied, crossing my arms over my chest.

"It always matters." Rick glanced over his shoulder to the others. They were spread out but listening intently.

I followed his gaze, the silence insisting that I answer. "Then no, I didn't. My last group was held up here for a long time, I took it upon myself to memorize the area. You can never be too careful."

"I hear that." Daryl nodded in agreement, his bow being temporarily set down on the end of his motorcycle.

"You know, we could really use someone that knows their way around... at least until we're ready to move on." Rick spoke once more, blue eyes landing on me.

"I'm sure you could." My tone remained low and indifferent to his words. For now, he could use me, but once they left this city it would be a different story. The group could decide that I'm tolerable enough to let me join them, or they could just leave without a word. Neither was guaranteed. I wasn't sure which of the two options I preferred, though they both seemed better than the likely third option of them just simply killing me. "But groups are a rarity for me."

"And why is that?"

"I'm just careful." I shrugged, leaning against a red Toyota with long scratches on its hood. "Groups slow you down, make you accountable for more than just yourself. They also require a great amount of trust, it's easier to get betrayed that way."

"You don't have much faith in people, do you?" Dale spoke in the background. He had a certain air about him, as if nothing around him had changed, or maybe it was him who hadn't changed. "Not everyone is like that."

"Some are. That's enough to merit caution."

"Exactly." Shane dropped the bag hanging from his shoulder, it's contents drooping then falling to the ground altogether. "Which is why you best not stay too long."

"I don't plan to, not with people like you hanging about." My glare was the only message needed. It was a look that conveyed an instant hatred. Maybe even disgust. That did tend to happen after someone tries to kill you. "I'll stay til morning, then I'll leave."

"Why wait?" He spat back, eager for my departure.

"Because it's nearly nightfall. You and your group are the reason I'm not already gone, I'd suggest a little gratitude but I doubt I'll get it from you."

"She's the only reason we all got out of there in one piece... She's more than earned our trust." Glenn adjusted the cap more securely on his head, looking me over before turning his eyes back to Shane. "We at least owe her the night, especially after what you did."

"Agreed." Rick said soon after, darting a look to Shane that stated that he had minimal say in the decision. "She stays here until mornin'."

My expectation was for Shane to chuck some form of adult tantrum, waving his gun around in an angry stupor. However, instead he seemed a little more relaxed now that everyone was safe and gave a respectful nod at the decision. I could still see the distrust in his eyes but that didn't stop him from wandering nearer to me. I stepped back when he was too close for comfort, narrowing icy blue eyes at him. To my dismay, this didn't appear to bother him at all.

"I'd like to apologise for what I did today." He sounded sincere when he said it, but his expression was almost unreadable. "We recently had our camp overrun and lost a lot of good people. We're all still recoverin' from it."

The group looked saddened by the reminder, but none had the look of true despair in their face like Andrea did. I could only guess that she was close to one of the people they lost, but that still didn't stop me from talking back to the man in front of me. "So shooting people in the head is a part of your recovery, is it?"

"Look, I said I was sorry 'bout that." His stare shifted to some of the group, Lori in particular. Maybe it truly was just a lapse in judgement or an outburst, many wouldn't feel the need to apologise if it wasn't, or perhaps this was a side of him he had tried to cover. Either way, it was obvious he was going to stick to the outburst story. Pretend like he was so upset over those they had lost that he had a momentary loss of control. "I don' expect that you'll forgive me, but I thought I should tell you."

I wasn't sure whether he truly meant it or not, but whether he was a good guy with a short fuse or a bad one was no concern of mine. I'd be gone in the morning, it was the groups proem to deal with. My expression remained hostile but I managed a nod in his direction. "For now, I forgive you... but try it again and see how quickly you swallow my bullet."

It was a bluff, of course. I was completely out of bullets. However, I still had my knives and would feel no sympathy whatsoever by cracking his skull open with it. His nose scrunched up but he returned the nod, the threat seeming pretty reasonable.  
"Now that's settled..." Glenn spoke up, drawing our attention to him. "Is there anywhere nearby we can set up camp?"

My gaze flicked to our surroundings, deep in thought before I regretfully shook my head. "Not anywhere safe... and we wouldn't make it anyway. By the time we find a house or deserted patch of land it will be too dark to see when the Decayers are coming."

"Oh... great..." Glenn huffed, looking as if he were thinking through our options before another voice piped up.

"Decayers? That's what you call 'em?" Daryl chuckled in amusement.

"Better than 'Walkers'. That's what you call them, right?" Throwing the smug expression back at him, I let my lip quirk up into a smirk. "What about the ones without legs? Do you call them 'Crawlers'?"

The left side of his mouth tugged upwards to mimick mine. "Nah, they're Walkers too... don' make much sense when you say it out loud like that."

"Can we maybe talk after we find shelter?" Andrea said, voice dripping with annoyance.

"She's right, we can't stay out here in the open." Lori added.

"It looks like there's a decent amount of caravans and RV's around here. We should clear them out and assign a few people to the closest ones." My suggestion looked to sound alarm bells in a few of their minds.

"Are you saying we should stay here?!" Carol gasped, obviously concerned having Sophia in such danger.

"I'm saying we have no choice." I moved across the small gaps between the jammed cars, opening the door of a caravan right next to where we all stood. The smell was immediate, but it was something I had grown numb to now. Cautiously, I stepped in and scanned the room. The corpse was almost devoid of skin and scattered in burrowing insects. There was a crack in their skull that insinuated that they had already been shot. It took only a minute to drag in outside, tossing it onto the roof of a nearby car. "Don't worry too much, as long as we stay quiet they won't hear us if they come this way."

"You done this before?" Rick asked skeptically but begun looking for another caravan to clear out.

"I've stayed in places much worse than this." Was the vague answer I gave, but Rick seemed to not want to question it in front of the others. "I'd put someone on watch just encase though."

Rick, Glenn and I managed to find another RV a small distance from the other two, occupied only by an old dead couple that we quickly moved to the side of the road together. As soon as we had set them gently down I quickly looked away. I couldn't stand seeing elderly people in that way. I knew that both Rick and Glenn had noticed my quick departure but chose to leave it be.

"Alright, now we assign people." Rick spoke up when we made it back to the group. "We have 10 people and 3 possible places to spend the night. What do y'all think?"

"I'll stand watch from the roof of Dale's RV." Andrea offered, checking over her gun.

"Then I'll overlook the other RV." Shane stated in a non-negotiable way. I guess it would be hard to sleep after shooting at someone's head...

"Alright, that makes 8 people." Rick said quickly, eyes flicking to the slowly dying light.

"The other RV is smaller than Dale's, it really only has a bed...even the caravan is fairly compact." I spoke up despite being the outsider in the group. "My suggestion is that Carol and Sophia take that RV, Lori, Carl and you take the caravan, and the rest of us try and fit into Dale's RV."

"Will there be enough room in there?"

"Well... There's a bed and two long seats. I suppose we could squeeze in." Dale confirmed.

"Alright, I know we're all hungry... but we can't risk losing anyone going hunting right now. We found a few cans in the caravan though, we'll divide it between us and eat once we are under cover." Rick picked up a plastic bag from the boot of a silver car he had rested it on. Reaching in, he passed out the cans to each of us and left a few in there for his own family. "Try and get some sleep, we find our way out of here first thing tomorrow."

They scurried into their night's accommodation, so quickly it was obvious that the last attack still weighed heavily on their mind. The only two that took their time with me were Daryl, who was headed to Dale's RV with me, and Shane who sauntered in the opposite direction. Dale, Daryl, and Glenn had already made it into the RV when I entered, shutting the door behind me with a lock.

"Are you sure you don't want the bed, Dale?" Glenn asked the old man, sitting on the end of the mattress.

"No, that's alright. This seat will do me just fine." He answered, eyes suddenly flicking to me as I sat next to Glenn. I was hoping to get one of the chairs, but Daryl had occupied the last one. "I'd like to thank you for getting us out of there. Most would have left us."

The guilt sat not on my chest but inside my brain, along with the thoughts I had in the moment it was happening. I didn't deserve to be thanked but even if I did it would have been surprising all the same. Most people just felt entitled to your help as fellow 'survivors'. "I almost did."

"But you didn't." Dale opened his can, digging a severely bent spoon into it to reveal baked beans.

"Yeah... well, you have him to thank for that." I motioned towards Glenn, who gave a bewildered look at my words.

"Me?" He said in disbelief. "Why?"

"I'd be dead if it weren't for you... even if it was one of your own, I don't like owing people. Now we're even."

"But you don't owe me for something like that..." There was a warmth to his eyes when he looked at me that I hadn't seen since the dead started to rise. They were like hot chocolate on a cold, winter night that wrapped around you like a thick blanket. I found comfort just knowing that there were people like him still out there. People that could calm you with a look and make you feel at home. At a time like this there was nothing more out of reach then a sense of belonging or normalcy, so even if it was false hope he gave with his gaze, it was still the most grounded thing I had seen in a while.

"Not anymore I don't..." I answered stubbornly, glancing away from him. Instead I turned my attention towards the food in my hand, finally reading the label as 'creamed corn'. I took out the cleanest knife I had and carefully cut open the top, pouring a little into my mouth and pulling it away to chew. I hadn't had creamed corn in years, it was even better now that food was scarce.

Daryl twirled an arrow around his fingers skillfully, having finished his Tuna almost as soon as he had received it. Silence bared down on us until he decided to break it. "What you say your name was?"

"I didn't." I answered simply, not having seen any reason to give it before then. "It's Christabel, Chris for short."

"Have a last name?"

"Hunter." I took another swig from the can.

"Must be the worst thing about the apocalypse for you, with a name like that." Daryl snickered, seeing the irony in my last name. It wasn't uncommon, most people found my name ironic. Though, I liked to remind them that we were the ones being hunted not the other way around.

"Yeah, that and the lack of sexual partners. You probably haven't noticed, but most of the population are walking corpses." I felt a chuckle escape me at the same time it sounded from Daryl. "Not very attractive, not to me at least."

Daryl pointed his arrow at me with a grin. "At least someone has a sense of humor around here."

Dale shook his head but it was mostly lighthearted. A grin set on Glenn's face, looking from me to the others but I tried my best to avoid returning his gaze. Daryl set his arrow down, shifting to lay flat on his back. The seat was fairly short so his legs dangled off of the edge, same with Dale who decided to lay down soon after finishing his dinner.

"So, what did you do before all this?" Glenn asked, curiosity showing in his expression.

"I was a University student." I answered, hoping to not get too far into it. Not because it made me uncomfortable, that life felt so long ago that talking about it was like relaying someone else's life. It was because I didn't see the point in getting to know people I'd never see again. I was to leave tomorrow, and on the rare possibility that I ran into this group again in the future, most of them would be dead.

"Really?" Glenn sounded all too interested in other people, too caring. It must have come naturally to him.

I gave a curt nod, chucking my empty can onto the floor and shuffling back to rest against the mattress. It was odd whenever I had the opportunity to sleep in a bed. I was so use to sleeping in uncomfortable places that a mattress had gone from a luxury to almost intolerable.

"I delivered pizzas... So I don't really know what that would have been like." He sounded almost embarrassed by his past job, but he said it regardless with a hand reaching to rub the back of his neck.

Glenn's previously full can joined mine on the floor, but he didn't look to notice that he was sleeping in the same bed as me until he turned around. His eyes widened, face flushing red at the idea. He must've had it pretty good up until now to never have to sleep with a girl. I rolled my eyes, turning over so that I could no longer see the nerves radiating from him. His hat was placed onto the table between Dale and Daryl before he returned, shakily moving to the top of the bed and placing his head next to mine on the pillow. Whenever any part of our bodies touched during the night, he would instantly jolt away anxiously. It didn't appear like he'd get much sleep with that much anxiety coursing through him. I had my own problems sleeping to think too much about his though. Falling asleep was like being caught in a hurricane of thoughts to me. Every fear of the future and close calls of the day would replay in my mind, demanding careful analysis and planning for the next time it happened before I could be allowed to sleep. And finally when the eye of the hurricane had passed and my mind was left free, only then would I feel sleep slipping over me. This time the careful rustling of Andrea on the roof and Glenn's heavy breathing were the only things threatening to keep me up, but compared to the distant groaning of walkers they were nothing.


	3. The Herd

Waking up was no longer the pleasure it had been before the outbreak. There was a brief moment of laziness but it always evaporated faster than rain on a hot engine. Then my eyelids, that were drooping and heavy with the lack of undisturbed sleep, would snap open as violently as if I'd been awoken by the crunching of bones beneath teeth. My back suddenly straightened, every thought in high definition. My eyes took in any ray of light that they could in the dull room, the chatter from outside assuring me that I had slept for too long. I swung my legs over the edge of the mattress, tapping my leg to make sure my knife was still there before exiting the RV without a word to Andrea, who was handling the guns. An instant wave of heat washed over me, the sun burning so harshly that the sky appeared to be on fire. In this intense humidity even the soil looked dry and powdery to the touch. A lone drop of sweat slid down my back, leaving a trail of temporary coolness in its wake. Within seconds my skin was glistening and the nape of my neck was much too damp. I craved a shower to wash the stickiness off but knew that it was unlikely that I'd be able to have one for a while, unless I found a lake nearby. My arm reached up to rest across my forehead, blocking the sun from my eyes as I scanned the area. It looked like everyone was already up. They were searching the nearby cars for supplies, probably fuel as well. From behind me I could hear faint speaking, and after kicking a stone in my path, I wandered to the front of the vehicle.

"Glad to see you're finally up." Dale said when he finally came into view.

"Why didn't you wake me up?" I asked bluntly, eyes darting over to Glenn who had his head inside the steaming hood. I could just barely see the tufts of black hair sticking to his neck from beneath his hat.

"It looked like you needed the rest." Dale answered, tapping Glenn on the shoulder. "You know how to fix a radiator hose?"

His words were almost foreign to me, brain unable to process what he had just said. It seemed obvious by the look I gave him that I didn't even know the parts of a car, let alone how to fix them, but I still shook my head to confirm the suspicion. "Never needed to."

"Well, now's your chance." Dale now motioned Glenn back out of the hood, and when his face was finally visible it blazed bright red from the hot steam. "Chris is going to help you, try and show her what to do."

I could tell by the look on Glenn's face that he himself barely knew how to fix it, but he still gave a nod of agreement.

"I'm sorry, but I really must be off." I tried to argue, but Dale raised his hand to stop me.

"If you're going to be out there on your own, this is something you should know how to do." He turned to make his leave and I had the sneaking impression that he had done it just to make sure that I didn't have time to refuse. "You never know what might save your life."

I didn't bother opening my mouth to disagree because he was gone long before I could have gotten a word out. A long, irritated sigh escaped my lips, only accentuated by my bodies need to cool down. Glenn shifted on the spot and when my eyes were drawn to the movement he refused to match my gaze. I thought that perhaps he was still embarrassed about last night, but I had no way to prove that. He could have just disliked me.

As if reading my mind, Glenn finally stuttered out a few word. "S-Sorry about last night… I would have slept on the floor if there was any room…"

"That's what you're worried about?" I felt my mouth twitch into a smile, unable to hide my amusement at his undoubtable innocence. "What's the matter? Never slept with a girl before?"

At last, Glenn's stare met mine at the teasing tone I gave. His expression was panicked, twisting the tool in his hands so tensely that I thought it might break. "O-Of course I have!"

"Oh really?" I raised a thin eyebrow at him, crossing my arms. "Who?"

"My… My sisters when I was younger… and my mom."

Any attempts to suppress my laughter failed. It came out like ripples in the ocean after a smooth stone had been thrown in. It radiated outwards through the silent traffic, a few of the group spinning around to see where the noise was coming from. I gave an awkward wave, doubling over to try and cease my loud chortles. Once I had caught my breath back, I straightened up to be met by a pair of annoyed brown eyes.

"Sorry, that was uncalled for." My tone wavered at the effort it took to stop my giggles, form shaking as if it were reacting in place of my voice.

"You don't look sorry…" Glenn replied in annoyance, ducking back under the hood. "Dale told me to teach you, right?"

"Yeah, but you don't have to-" Before I could finish, Glenn had appeared again and thrown the tool at me. At the sudden object flying in my direction I quickly tried to catch it, but only barely managed to after it slipped out of my hands a few times. As it slid out of one, I'd try to catch it with the other and vice versa. Glenn watched my fumbling with a furrowed brow, lips and cheeks tightening as this time he tried not to laugh at me.

Once I had finally steadied it in my hands, Glenn pointed towards a rusty piece of metal. "We have to undo the clamps to the radiator hose with the flathead. You do that while I go look for a replacement."

This group seemed to have a habit of leaving at the exact moment I had something to say, because as soon as I turned to ask if the thing in my hand was the flathead Glenn was already walking away. He had a method of walking that made him seem like he was in a constant hurry. His steps weren't long but they were rapid, and his calm demeanour only proved that this was a normal pace to him. I shrugged, beginning to swiftly fiddle with the clamp in the hopes that I could finally leave soon.

"Hey, Glenn!" Shane's voice pierced the air, irritating my ears so much that I felt compelled to look his way as well. "Did you say we were out of water?"

A burning sensation grew in my dry throat at the sight of water. Shane had undone the lid of a huge container of the liquid and it poured over his body. I licked my cracked lips, feeling more allure from the waves of water gulping out of the tank than I had for any man or woman in my whole life. It was a sad thought, but a true one nonetheless. I had forgotten just how thirsty I had become over the last few days.

The joy on Glenn's face almost matched my own, his voice drenched in that same rapture. "Hey, save me some!"

"It's like being baptised, man!" Shane yelled back. He really didn't act like the man I had met yesterday, but I was too dehydrated to concentrate on why that was.

I began jogging over to the truck, not even bothered that I'd have to be in Shane's presence to get to it. I was almost there, I could even feel the droplets bouncing off of Shane's broad shoulders and raining onto my face, but when he turned around I felt my legs freeze. His dark eyes were an endless depth of ink that made you feel as if you were drowning. The permanent scowl on his face dropped, a cold sweat starting to replace the clean water that saturated him. I peered over my shoulder, blue eyes turning to slits as they tried to see further into the distance. Now I could see it. A herd of Decayers stumbling in our direction, too many to take on all at once. My feet pounded against the road, it still sizzled under the sun's rays and I was starting to feel the heat seep into the soles of my worn out shoes. Still, I ran, rushing over to Glenn and dragging him beneath the car he had been taking a radiator hose from. Shane ducked under the car next to us, pressing a finger to his lips when Glenn gave a loud whisper of "What's going on?!"

The fear sat on me at an almost suffocating weight. Enough air got by it, allowing my mind to stay awake and functioning, but it was crippling all the same. Every breath felt too loud, every movement too visible. Dirty, bloodied feet were my only view as the corpses shuffled passed us. Glenn's back pressed against mine, both looking in a different direction. I could feel every tremble that ran up his spine and it only succeeded in making me shake as well. It was one thing to experience fear yourself, but to feel someone else's only made it worse. I had never seen so many Decayers in one place, never felt so helpless. An instant regret was all I could feel through my terror for helping the group. They may have been good people but it wasn't worth this. Despite my certainty that I was doomed, the herd begun to thin out until only a few more undead were dragging themselves down the highway. Something close to relief started to well within me, but it was quickly snatched away when the sight of a Crawler came into view. It was missing a leg, the other snapped back in a way that made it impossible to walk on. It was so severe that its foot kept dangling over its back as the Decayer squirmed. I felt my breath hitch in my throat and the ripped, dead face turned to me.

The adrenaline coursing through my veins was only shutting down my ability to think logically. All I knew was that I wanted to run, but I was trapped. It pulled itself over to me, rotted teeth snapping hungrily. I tried to keep it away, pushing on its forehead with all the strength I could master but physical power was a great weakness of mine. A quiet cry left my throat, and I felt Glenn shift from beside me. I could barely feel his hand on my leg through the wheezing generating from my lungs and the horror when my arms begun to quiver under the pressure. My elbows buckled, the Decayer jolting forward before a splatter of blood hit my face. In my delayed mind I thought it had bitten me. The blood on my nose and across my chin being processed as my own and creating a fake pain to go along with it. Only after I gave a whimper did I see the knife stuck in the corpse's skull. My knife. In the confusion all I could do was let out incomprehensible noises while my brain and body tried to catch up with what had happened. Without warning, a pair of arms wrapped around me, a hand covering my mouth firmly and sending me into an initial panic. I began to struggle, but though I could tell they weren't the strongest person I had encountered, they were still sturdier than I was. 'Shh' Glenn hushed, and this my brain could decipher. I stopped. Not even trying to loosen his grip over my mouth that was refusing any air to enter, and making it much harder to breathe through my nose. Thankfully, the Decayers appeared to have stopped walking around soon after and he let go of me before I could pass out. A large gulp of oxygen filled my lungs, head dizzy but at least calming down.

Glenn heaved himself from beneath the car, looking around before motioning for me to do the same. I crawled out on shivering legs, giving a begrudged "Thank you" to Glenn once I was fully out. The fresh air entered my body, and though I was still extremely thirsty, my mind cleared. It was like I had been starved of an open area for days. We had been under that car getting more carbon dioxide from each other's breath than actual oxygen. I didn't even mind how hot it was anymore, I was just grateful to be out of that closed up space. I was beginning to wobble over to the truck full of water when a scream sounded. Glenn and I looked at one another for a second before hurrying in the direction it had come from.

"Those monsters are after my baby!" Carol wailed, held back by Lori who tried desperately to not only stop her from following but to keep her quiet.

A lump became lodged in my throat, worry draining all color from my face. My main priority was keeping myself safe but knowing that there was a child out there ate away at me. I thought that maybe it was worth the risk to go after her, at least I knew the area well enough to not get lost, but when I moved toward the railing Lori shook her head.

"She's going to be fine… Rick went after her." She tried to sound convinced, but I could hear every falter in her tone. We wouldn't know until they came back. Still, those passing minutes were a torture that kept cycling from one to the other. It was so relentless that we could hear every breath, every snap of a twig. Even when T-Dog made loud groans of pain behind us it seemed to increase in volume as soon as it hit our ears. I could tell that he was badly hurt, but the sounds of Daryl assisting him prevented me from turning around. My attention was captured by the forest Sophia had disappeared into, every rustling leaf giving me hope that they had returned then a sinking defeat when it was wasn't them.


End file.
